Monday, October 11, 2004

I have two questions for those that think changing to proportional representation would be a bad thing.

Would proportional representation be more democratic than the way the US system currently works?

Would proportional representation give people their fair share of influence on the issues?

Of course, the answer to both questions, I feel, is yes. I think where people disagree is with the notion that people SHOULD have an equal share of influence or that more democracy is better.

There are those that think that concentrating power is better than distributing it around. And one can point to scenarios where thats actually been the case.

But experience has also shown that those societies that have opened up their systems to participation by more and more of their citizens have had greater stability, faster technological advancement and greater influence in the world.

I think Great Britain is the chief example of that. Not to say that oppression hasn't occurred (hey, I'm of Irish descent), but you can't really argue that that society hasn't been an astounding success in many respects.